HL Deb 24 May 1977 vol 383 cc1273-4WA
Baroness PHILLIPS

asked Her Majesty's Government:

(a) The age at which a widow receives the widow's pension if she does not have children of school age; (b) the amounts payable by widowed mother's allowance for each child of school age; and (c) the age at which the child has to be for the widowed mother's allowance to cease.

Lord WELLS-PESTELL

(a) If, when, her husband dies, a widow has no children or her family has grown up, she will normally qualify for a standard-rate National Insurance widow's pension provided that she is then aged 50 or over. If she is between 40 and 50 at that time, her entitlement will be to a National Insurance widow's pension scaled down as follows in 7 per cent. steps according to her age:

Widow's age at the qualifying date Percentage of the full pension payable Amount currently payable(assuming a full contribution record on the husband's part)
50 or over 100 £15.30
49 93 £14.23
48 86 £13.16
47 79 £12.09
46 72 £11.02
45 65 £9.95
44 58 £8.87
43 51 £7.80
42 44 £6.73
41 37 £5.66
40 30 £4.59
Once an age-related pension of this kind is awarded, the percentage rate remains constant and does not increase progressively with the widow's age; nor does the full rate become payable to her at age 50. A widow's pension can continue in payment until the widow reached age 65. However, on retirement from regular employment at or after pension age, or at 65, whichever is the earlier, she becomes entitled to a retirement pension. This is determined by her own contribution record either on its own or in conjunction with her late husband's contributions, or—if it is to her advantage— she may draw instead a retirement pension at the same rate as the widow's pension she was previously receiving.

(b) A widowed mother can currently draw £6.45 a week dependency benefit for her first or only qualifying child and £5.95 for any other qualifying child. This means that, with her child benefit, she receives a total of £7.45 a week per child.

(c) Provided a qualifying child is in full-time education, a widowed mother's allowance can continue until the child's 19th birthday at a rate which includes the dependency increase for the child. Where the qualifying child ceases full-time education before age 19 the dependency increase will cease, but a widowed mother's allowance at the personal rate only (currently £15.30 a week) will continue until the child's 19th birthday, provided the child continues to reside, or can be treated as residing, with the widow. Widowed mother's allowance can continue in payment after the widow has reached pension age for as long as the conditions for it are satisfied.

House adjourned at two minutes before eight o'clock.